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I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I like comfort food. Why wouldn’t you? But I know that most comfort foods aren’t always the healthiest things to eat with all the carbs, cream and cheese they mostly contain. As this whole low-carb thing has taken over the world, I was thinking the other day if there are really any low-carb, vegetarian options out there? That’s when I remembered my old favourite, Parmigiana di Melanzane.
I’m not usually the biggest aubergine fan but I do like it layered with rich tomato sauce topped with lots of cheese and so decided to zshoosh it up a little by adding a lot of herbs and mushrooms to the tomato sauce. The end result was the most delicious, comforting bake which was the perfect light comfort food. Something I need more and more now that we’re moving swiftly into Autumn. If you’re not eating low-carb, you could serve this with some good crusty bread but I served it with a green salad dressed in a zesty lemon vinaigrette and it was just delicious.
Aubergine, tomato & mushroom bake
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 3 large aubergine sliced into 1cm slices
- 150 g mozzarella
- 100 g Parmesan/Pecorino grated
for the sauce
- 1 red onion finely choppes
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 250 g mushrooms sliced (I used portobellini/chestnut)
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes / 500g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and grill in a hot griddle pan for 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- To make the sauce, sauté the onion in a saucepan in a splash of oil until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are golden brown.
- Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
- To assemble the bake, layer the grilled aubergine with the sauce and cheese in an oven-proof dish, reserving some of the mozzarella to finish the bake off with.
- Place the dish in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve with salad/bread of your choice.
I am not a vegetarian, nor to I gravitate towards particularly healthy recipes. This recipe caught my eye because of the cheesy mound on top in the photos. Winter is beginning and I was looking for warming comfort food and it did not disappoint.
I cheated a little and used dried Thyme, canned cherry tomatoes and just a bag of “pizza cheese” (mixed mozzarella, colby and parmesan) but goddamn it was good. And so quick! I will be making this a lot more. Any ideas on variations?
So glad you liked this. 🙂 Love the bag of cheese idea, you’re my kinda person! You could try other vegetables like zucchini? And mix it up with other kinds of cheese perhaps? You could always layer some bolognese with the aubergine/eggplant if you’re not too worried about keeping it vegetarian.
Lovely – I did change the ratio (serving for 2: 3 aubergine, 400g mushroom, 1 can tom, 100g cherry tom) To reduce the fat I used a combination of cottage cheese and a little grated cheese. Super tasty! Will make it again.
Was really delicious, I served mine with veg and crusty bread. My husband loved it. Would like to know what the calorie count is? Will definitely cook it again
This is a fabulous dish but I wish there was a carb count on it
This recipe is just lovely! I added some pine-nuts and served with a simple cos lettuce salad and fresh bread. And then poof! Gone! (just like that)
Yum! So happy to hear that you loved it.
I like the recipe. How long can I store it in the fridge/freezer ?
I’m looking for a good healthy comfort food and I think I found one.
I’ve never frozen this but I suppose you could freeze it unbaked up to 1 month. In the fridge this should last up to 5 days.
This sounds delicious, but what kind of mozzarella do I need? Is it a ball, or the firm kind that’s in a block and can be grated?
You could use either. I used the firmer kind but fresh mozzarella would be just as good.
Made this last night, it came out fantastic! I used nice italian buffalo mozzarella and parmesan cheese and it came out really really good. My only critique would be that cutting eggplant in 1cm slices is a bit on the thick size, 0.5 cm would probably be better. Overall, a great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it. You can definitely slice the eggplant into thinner rounds, I just like the chunkiness of them at 1cm. 🙂
Quick question, is it 2 400g cans chopped tomatoes AND 500g cherry tomatoes, or is it one or the other?
No, one or the other. 🙂
Going to make this for the second time. Really really yummy recipe which both my husband and I thought was a wonderful mix of flavours and textures.
Oh it is just delicious,
made a small amount yesterday,
Today am making it again
l hope to freeze some.
Don’t know if it will work or not,
But here goes.
I think this is the best recipe. My family adored this. And it was delicious. Thanks for sharing such a nice recipe. I featured your recipe on my blog, so you can check it. It’s in Turkish but I put a link.
Have nice day!
http://niluferustuner.blogspot.com.tr/2015/09/patlcan-musakkann-yerine-alternatif.html
More than 5 star!!!!!
I love eggplant parm, and this looks like a simple but delicious recipe! One thing, I’ve always sprinkled the raw slices with salt and put them in a colander to drain the excess liquid, making for a firmer texture. Is that not necessary in this recipe?
I never do this as I find it an unnecessary step. If you prefer to do it though, simply do it before you fry the slices.
I am really not a fan of aubergine. However, since I am always looking for good vegetarian “banting” friendly meals – I am going to have to give this one a try for lunch! Awesome as always! xx